Kohlberg, who was born in 1927, grew up in Bronxville, New York, and attended the Andover Academy in Massachusetts, a private high school for bright and usually wealthy students. He did not go immediately to college, but instead went to help the Israeli cause, in which he was made the Second Engineer on an old freighter carrying refugees from parts of Europe to Israel. After this, in 1948, he enrolled at the University of Chicago, where he scored so high on admission tests that he had to take only a few courses to earn his bachelor's degree. This he did in one year. He stayed on at Chicago for graduate work in psychology, at first thinking he would become a clinical psychologist. However, he soon became interested in Piaget and began interviewing children and adolescents on moral issues. The result was his doctoral dissertation (1958a), the first rendition of his new stage theory[1] .
Kohlberg's Theory of Moral Reasoning
Level 1. Preconventional Moral Reasoning
Judgment is based on personal needs and others' rules.
Stage 1Punishment - Obedience Orientation
Rules are obeyed to avoid punishment. A good or bad action is determined by its physical consequences.
Stage 2.Personal Reward Orientation
Personal needs determine right and wrong. Favors are returned along the lines of “ You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.”
Level 2. Conventional Moral Reasoning
Judgment is based on others’ approval, family expectations, traditional values, the laws of society, and loyalty to country.
Stage 3.Good boy- Nice Girl Orientation
Good means “nice.” It is determined by what pleases, aids, and is approved by others.
Stage 4.Law and Order Orientation
Laws are absolute. Authority must be respected and the social order maintained.
Level 3. Postconventional Moral Reasoning
Stage 5. Social Contract Orientation
Good is determined by socially agreed-upon standards of individual rights. This is a morality similar to that of the U.S. Constitution.
Stage 5. Social Contract Orientation
Good is determined by socially agreed-upon standards of individual rights. This is a morality similar to that of the U.S. Constitution.
*In later work Kohlberg questioned whether stage 6 exists separately from stage 5. Source: From “The Cognitive –Development Approach to Moral Education,” by L. Kohlberg, 1975, Phi Delta Kappan, 56, p.671. Adapted by permission of the Journal of Philosophy. Woolfolk, A. (2008)Educational Psychology: Active learning Edition 10. PearsonEducation,Inc.
Moral Dilemma
A man’s wife is dying. There is one drug that could save her, but it is very expensive, and the druggist who invented it will not sell it at a price low enough for the man to buy it. Finally, the man becomes desperate and considers stealing the drug for his wife. What should he do, and why?... Find out what others thought the man should by watching the video.
Moral Compass
Summary
At stage 1 children think of what is right as that which authority says is right. Doing the right thing is obeying authority and avoiding punishment. At stage 2, children are no longer so impressed by any single authority; they see that there are different sides to any issue. Since everything is relative, one is free to pursue one's own interests, although it is often useful to make deals and exchange favors with others.
At stages 3 and 4, young people think as members of the conventional society with its values, norms, and expectations. At stage 3, they emphasize being a good person, which basically means having helpful motives toward people close to one At stage 4, the concern shifts toward obeying laws to maintain society as a whole.
At stages 5 and 6 people are less concerned with maintaining society for its own sake, and more concerned with the principles and values that make for a good society. At stage 5 they emphasize basic rights and the democratic processes that give everyone a say, and at stage 6 they define the principles by which agreement will be most just.
Lawrence Kohlberg
Kohlberg, who was born in 1927, grew up in Bronxville, New York, and attended the Andover Academy in Massachusetts, a private high school for bright and usually wealthy students. He did not go immediately to college, but instead went to help the Israeli cause, in which he was made the Second Engineer on an old freighter carrying refugees from parts of Europe to Israel. After this, in 1948, he enrolled at the University of Chicago, where he scored so high on admission tests that he had to take only a few courses to earn his bachelor's degree. This he did in one year. He stayed on at Chicago for graduate work in psychology, at first thinking he would become a clinical psychologist. However, he soon became interested in Piaget and began interviewing children and adolescents on moral issues. The result was his doctoral dissertation (1958a), the first rendition of his new stage theory[1] .
Kohlberg's Theory of Moral Reasoning
Level 1. Preconventional Moral Reasoning
Judgment is based on personal needs and others' rules.
Stage 1 Punishment - Obedience Orientation
Rules are obeyed to avoid punishment. A good or bad action is determined by its physical consequences.
Stage 2. Personal Reward Orientation
Personal needs determine right and wrong. Favors are returned along the lines of “ You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.”
Level 2. Conventional Moral Reasoning
Judgment is based on others’ approval, family expectations, traditional values, the laws of society, and loyalty to country.
Stage 3. Good boy- Nice Girl Orientation
Good means “nice.” It is determined by what pleases, aids, and is approved by others.
Stage 4. Law and Order Orientation
Laws are absolute. Authority must be respected and the social order maintained.
Level 3. Postconventional Moral Reasoning
Stage 5. Social Contract Orientation
Good is determined by socially agreed-upon standards of individual rights. This is a morality similar to that of the U.S. Constitution.
Stage 5. Social Contract Orientation
Good is determined by socially agreed-upon standards of individual rights. This is a morality similar to that of the U.S. Constitution.
Moral Dilemma
A man’s wife is dying. There is one drug that could save her, but it is very expensive, and the druggist who invented it will not sell it at a price low enough for the man to buy it. Finally, the man becomes desperate and considers stealing the drug for his wife. What should he do, and why?... Find out what others thought the man should by watching the video.
Summary
At stage 1 children think of what is right as that which authority says is right. Doing the right thing is obeying authority and avoiding punishment. At stage 2, children are no longer so impressed by any single authority; they see that there are different sides to any issue. Since everything is relative, one is free to pursue one's own interests, although it is often useful to make deals and exchange favors with others.
At stages 3 and 4, young people think as members of the conventional society with its values, norms, and expectations. At stage 3, they emphasize being a good person, which basically means having helpful motives toward people close to one At stage 4, the concern shifts toward obeying laws to maintain society as a whole.
At stages 5 and 6 people are less concerned with maintaining society for its own sake, and more concerned with the principles and values that make for a good society. At stage 5 they emphasize basic rights and the democratic processes that give everyone a say, and at stage 6 they define the principles by which agreement will be most just.
W.C. Crain. (1985). Theories of Development. Prentice-Hall. pp. 118-136., http://faculty.plts.edu/gpence/html/kohlberg.htm